Also known as BTC
1985 · Bally
Beat the Clock
Known for STOP targets and TIMER standups. Pale blue sky with soft white clouds, snow-covered mountain peaks along the left horizon, large red, white and yellow gradient x of crossed diagonal bands, yellow five-pointed stars at the four tips of the x and multi-coloured striped border framing the glass.
- Year
- 1985
- Maker
- Bally
- Type
- Solid state
- Display
- Alphanumeric
- Players
- 4
Known for
- Target
STOP targets
- Target
TIMER standups
On the playfield
Hole 1
- Top saucer saucer
Drop targets 2
- Left drop targets
- Right drop target
Targets 2
- STOP targets
- TIMER standups
Lanes 2
- ABCD lanes
- Star rollovers rollovers
On the backglass
Who and what
- man Top left, dark-skinned adult man with short black hair, wearing a yellow running vest and green shorts, mid-stride with arms pumping; the word finish is printed on his chest
- man Top right, adult man in a blue and red racing suit with a white helmet, dark goggles and a trailing red scarf, lunging down and to the left with one arm outstretched
- man Lower left, adult runner in a red and white racing suit with a peaked racing cap, leaning forward in a sprint
- man Mid right, smaller rider in green and yellow leathers and a helmet, crouched over the handlebars of a green machine
- vehicle Bottom left, yellow-orange open-wheel racing car with a long nose, exposed suspension and fat blue tyres
- vehicle Bottom right, blue and white open-wheel racing car with a driver in a red suit and white helmet, blue tyres
Setting
- Pale blue sky with soft white clouds
- Snow-covered mountain peaks along the left horizon
- Large red, white and yellow gradient x of crossed diagonal bands
- Yellow five-pointed stars at the four tips of the x
- Multi-coloured striped border framing the glass
Text on it
- Bally MIDWAY
- BEAT
- THE
- CLOCK
- FINISH
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 0
- 5
- 10
- 15
- 20
- 25
- 30
- 40
- 45
- 50
- 55
How it plays
-
Goals 4
- Time Units
- Add 5 Time Units
- Stop the Clock
- Add Time
Made by
- Design
- George Christian
- Art
- Tony Ramunni
- Software
- Rehman Merchant
Reference
Linked terms
- STOP targets also called Stop standup targets
- TIMER standups also called TIMER bank also called Timer standup targets
- ABCD lanes also called ABCD top lanes
Backglass vision analysis
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Backglass
- red
- blue
- yellow
- white
Fingerprint: beat the clock, giant stopwatch face at exact centre ringed with numerals topped by shiny chrome crown with title wrapped around it, four racing drivers charging outward from behind dial, huge red-to-yellow gradient X formed by two crossed diagonal bands with yellow five-pointed star at each arm tip, open-wheel racing cars at bottom, busy crowded racing-themed layout
The single most memorable element is a giant stopwatch face at the exact centre, ringed with numerals and topped by a shiny chrome crown, with the whole title wrapped around it and four racing drivers charging outwards from behind the dial. The huge red-to-yellow gradient X formed by two crossed diagonal bands, each arm ending in a yellow five-pointed star, is the second giveaway. A third distinctive touch is the word FINISH printed straight onto the chest of the top-left runner's yellow vest. Fourth, two open-wheel racing cars and four green player numbers scattered around the X complete a very busy, crowded, racing-themed layout.
Setting
- Pale blue sky with soft white clouds
- Snow-covered mountain peaks along the left horizon
- Large red, white and yellow gradient x of crossed diagonal bands
- Yellow five-pointed stars at the four tips of the x
- Multi-coloured striped border framing the glass
Symbols
- Giant stopwatch dial with numeral ring
- Large diagonal x of four gradient bands
- Four yellow five-pointed stars at the tips of the x
- Two seven-segment style digital readouts at mid right
- Four rectangular score windows, two upper and two lower
- Green player numbers 1, 2, 3 and 4
- Red second hand
- Chrome crown and loop of the stopwatch
Lettering
- Fat condensed sans-serif block capitals in bright red with thick cream and yellow outline and a dark drop shadow; the small word the sits on a tilted orange-yellow tab; a small gold script signature at the top left; finish hand-lettered in black capitals on the runner's vest; green numerals scattered round the x
Themes
- Racing
- Motor racing
- Stopwatch
- Time trial
- Speed
- Open-wheel cars
- Athletics
- Sprinters
Title on it
- Beat the clock
Text on it
- Bally MIDWAY
- BEAT
- THE
- CLOCK
- FINISH
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 0
- 5
- 10
- 15
- 20
- 25
- 30
- 40
- 45
- 50
- 55
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Man | Top left, dark-skinned adult man with short black hair, wearing a yellow running vest and green shorts, mid-stride with arms pumping; the word finish is printed on his chest |
| Man | Top right, adult man in a blue and red racing suit with a white helmet, dark goggles and a trailing red scarf, lunging down and to the left with one arm outstretched |
| Man | Lower left, adult runner in a red and white racing suit with a peaked racing cap, leaning forward in a sprint |
| Man | Mid right, smaller rider in green and yellow leathers and a helmet, crouched over the handlebars of a green machine |
| Vehicle | Bottom left, yellow-orange open-wheel racing car with a long nose, exposed suspension and fat blue tyres |
| Vehicle | Bottom right, blue and white open-wheel racing car with a driver in a red suit and white helmet, blue tyres |
| Other | Centre, a giant white-faced stopwatch with black numerals, a red second hand, a small subdial, and a polished chrome crown with a hanging loop at the top |
A square painted backglass dominated by a huge chrome-and-white stopwatch dial in the centre, its white face ringed with black numerals (0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40, 45, 50, 55) and a red second hand, with a small subdial in the middle and a polished metal crown and hanging loop above it. Across the top, the title BEAT THE CLOCK is printed in fat red block capitals with cream and yellow outlines, with the small word THE on a tilted orange-yellow tab between the two words. Four racing figures charge outward around the dial: a Black man in a yellow vest and green shorts with FINISH printed on his chest, top left; a man in blue and red leathers with a white helmet, goggles and a red scarf lunging from the top right; a runner in a red and white racing suit and cap lower left; and a smaller rider in green and yellow on a green machine at mid right. Two open-wheel racing cars, one yellow-orange with blue tyres on the left and one blue and white with a red-suited, white-helmeted driver on the right, race across the bottom. A huge red, white and yellow gradient X of diagonal bands sits behind everything, its four arms tipped with five-pointed yellow stars. A pale blue sky with white clouds and snowy peaks fills the background, and a multi-coloured striped border frames the glass.