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Black Hole backglass

Also known as BH

1981 · Gottlieb

Black Hole

Known for Lower playfield, Gravity Tunnel, Re-Entry Gate and Black and Hole drop targets. Painted cloudy brown-olive sky, outer space starfield and spiral galaxy vortex.

Year
1981
Maker
Gottlieb
Type
Solid state
Display
Alphanumeric
Players
4

Known for

  • lower playfield

    Lower playfield

  • Lane

    Gravity Tunnel

  • gate

    Re-Entry Gate

  • Target

    Black and Hole drop targets

  • Hole

    Captive Hole

  • item

    G-Accelerator

  • Multiball

    Black Hole Multiball

On the playfield

  • turquoise blue
  • black
  • yellow
  • silver
Black Hole playfield
Spotted in this photo
  • 2 flippers
  • 4 pop bumpers
  • 2 slingshots

Full vision analysis

Extra level 1

  • Lower playfield lower playfield

Holes 2

  • Captive Hole
  • Upper lock saucer

Drop targets 2

  • 4-bank (yellow) drop targets
  • 3-bank (white) drop targets

Targets 2

  • Black and Hole drop targets
  • Lower right standup targets

Lanes 2

  • Gravity Tunnel
  • rollunder lane

Post or gate 1

  • Re-Entry Gate gate

Other 2

  • G-Accelerator item
  • beast lair area

On the backglass

  • black
  • white
  • orange
  • brown
Black Hole backglass

Full vision analysis

Who and what

  • other Small suited astronaut at upper left, white spacesuit with orange-tinted visor, tumbling head-down into the vortex with one arm outstretched
  • other Tiny suited figure at the exact centre of the spiral vortex, pale suit, falling inward
  • other Suited astronaut at bottom centre, white suit with an orange life-support pack, falling feet-first with arms and legs splayed

Setting

  • Painted cloudy brown-olive sky
  • Outer space starfield
  • Spiral galaxy vortex

Text on it

  • Gottlieb
  • GAME OVER
  • WE ARE 38
  • SHOOT AGAIN
  • BLACK HOLE
  • BLACK
  • HOLE

How it plays

  1. Multiballs 1

    • Black Hole Multiball
  2. Goals 1

    • Lower Level Bonus

Made by

Design
John Buras
Design
Shing Lam
Art
Terry Doerzaph

Reference

Linked terms
  • Re-Entry Gate also called Re-Entry
  • Black and Hole drop targets also called Black also called Hole
  • Captive Hole also called lower capture also called Lower lock
  • Upper lock also called main playfield lock also called Locks also called Capture locks
Playfield vision analysis

Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.

Black Hole playfield

Playfield

  • turquoise blue
  • black
  • yellow
  • silver

Fingerprint: Electric-yellow lightning bolt zig-zagging W across turquoise apron, large rectangular dark window at center ringed by chrome rail, four blue domed bumper caps, upper field crowded with chrome rails, two black instruction cards flanking the bolt, yellow-rimmed saucer holes at shoulders

Distinctive

The most memorable element is the electric-yellow lightning bolt zig-zagging in a huge W across the turquoise lower apron, which visually splits the two black instruction cards. Above it, 'LOWER LEVEL BONUS' and 'SHOOT AGAIN' sit over a fiery rocket-and-bonus-dial motif, and a large black rectangular window/tunnel occupies the middle of the playfield, ringed by chrome rail wire and starburst paint. Four domed blue pop-bumper caps and two chrome ball-guide launch lanes at the sides give the upper field a busy, mechanical look. The full-width yellow 'BLACK HOLE' how-to-play card on the lower left, packed with tiny white rules, is unusual for the genre. A mirrored title on the glass above the centre window reads as reversed lettering.

Setting

  • Dark star-speckled space field across the upper playfield
  • Flat turquoise blue lower apron
  • Chrome and wireform ball guides framing the upper field
  • Light wood and chrome cabinet with red led score displays below

Symbols

  • Large yellow lightning bolt
  • Yellow starburst badge
  • Rocket with flame
  • Black-hole swirl graphic behind the centre window
  • Circle and triangle bonus dial
  • Blue mushroom pop-bumper caps
  • Chrome wire ball guides
  • Yellow ribbon banners
  • Arrow decals at the lower-left and lower-right
  • Crescent and star motifs

Notable shapes

  • Huge yellow zig-zag lightning bolt across the lower apron
  • Large rectangular black window/tunnel at the centre of the playfield
  • Two circular saucer holes with yellow rims on the shoulders
  • Arched chrome ball guide looping around the top of the upper playfield
  • Rounded yellow-rimmed hole at the lower left apron edge

Art motifs

  • Swirling vortex
  • Star field
  • Exhaust flames
  • Ray bursts
  • Chevron and lightning bolt shapes

Themes

  • Black hole
  • Space
  • Bonus ladder
  • Electric lightning
  • Electromechanical single-level playfield

Title on it

  • How to play black hole

Text on it

  • How to play BLACK HOLE
  • RULES
  • CATCHER BALL
  • MULTIPLE BALL
  • SPECIAL
  • EXTRA BALL
  • WARP
  • Mottlieb
  • 1 REPLAY FOR EACH SCORE OF 20,000 POINTS.
  • 1 REPLAY FOR EACH SCORE OF 60,000 POINTS.
  • LOWER LEVEL BONUS
  • SHOOT AGAIN
  • BONUS
  • BALL IN PLAY
  • CREDITS
  • SPECIAL WHEN LIT
  • RE-ENTRY
  • CATCHER
  • HOBBY HORSE
Pop bumpers
Four blue domed pop-bumper caps: a cluster of three across the top of the playfield and one large one at mid-left
Slingshots
Two straight-sided triangular clear slingshots, one per flipper, outlined in white
Upper playfield
A compact raised upper section with a curved chrome rail, three pop bumpers, a saucer opening at the top left and star-field paint
Apron and lower playfield
A broad turquoise-blue apron with a black lower section, dominated by a thick yellow-outlined lightning bolt in a w shape; a black 'how to play black hole' rule card fills the lower left and a black replay-award card the lower right; two dark rectangular ball-track windows at the upper left and upper right of the apron, 'ball in play' and 'credits' counters between them
Who and what
Kind Description
Other A small painted human figure with outstretched arms at the top-left of the playfield, partly under a clear plastic cover, used as a decorative insert
Other A rocket with a flaming exhaust printed on the lower centre apron beside the bonus advance wheel
Other A painted hand/pointer graphic emerging from the left side near the 'extra ball' text
Full description

A full-length electro-mechanical playfield seen from above, with a bright turquoise-blue lower apron and a dark navy/black upper field crossed by chrome rails and yellow lightning bolt shapes. The lower third is dominated by a large yellow-outlined zig-zag lightning bolt running from the lower centre up to a black rectangular instruction card on the lower left headed 'How to play BLACK HOLE', which is printed with small white rule text on black in two columns, and by a matching black card on the lower right giving replay awards. Between them sits a yellow starburst-on-a-wheel 'BONUS' advance with a rocket flame, 'SHOOT AGAIN' lettering in yellow and red, and 'LOWER LEVEL BONUS' in yellow capitals on a black band above the flippers. Two white rubber-tipped flippers angle inward at the centre, flanked by two chrome wire launch lanes and clear plastic slingshots. The upper field is crowded with four blue pop-bumper caps (a cluster of three across the top and one large one at mid-left), a rectangular dark tunnel or scoop covering the centre, and yellow-rimmed saucer holes at the left and right shoulders. Flanking graphics read 'SPECIAL WHEN LIT', 'EXTRA BALL', 'RE-ENTRY' and 'CATCHER' on ribbon banners, with a small human figure graphic at the top-left. The cabinet front below carries three red LED score windows and a small oval maker's plate, all in a chrome-trimmed package.

Backglass vision analysis

Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.

Black Hole backglass

Backglass

  • black
  • white
  • orange
  • brown

Fingerprint: Giant black-and-lavender spiral-galaxy vortex swallowing asteroids. BLACK HOLE repeated twice in hollow yellow-outlined capitals forming ring around centre. Three spacesuited figures tumbling head-first into spiral from top, sides, bottom. Orange planets and rocks scattered throughout.

Distinctive

The word BLACK HOLE is repeated twice, as huge hollow yellow-outlined capitals forming a ring around a giant painted spiral-galaxy vortex that swallows everything. Three spacesuited figures are visibly falling head-first into the spiral from the top left, the throat and the bottom edge. Small floating orange planets and asteroid chunks are scattered across the whole face, and the glass is heavily reflective so much of the surrounding playfield art shows through as a ghost image behind the art.

Setting

  • Painted cloudy brown-olive sky
  • Outer space starfield
  • Spiral galaxy vortex

Symbols

  • Ringed planet at top right
  • Glowing orange sphere at bottom left
  • Small red-orange planets scattered
  • Brown asteroid rocks
  • Starfield dots

Lettering

  • Very large hollow-outline block capitals with pale yellow and orange gradient, arranged in a circle around the central vortex; small white block caps in orange-outlined boxes for the instruction panels

Themes

  • Space
  • Black hole
  • Astronaut
  • Vortex
  • Spiral galaxy
  • Asteroids
  • Planets

Title on it

  • Black hole

Text on it

  • Gottlieb
  • GAME OVER
  • WE ARE 38
  • SHOOT AGAIN
  • BLACK HOLE
  • BLACK
  • HOLE
Who and what
Kind Description
Other Small suited astronaut at upper left, white spacesuit with orange-tinted visor, tumbling head-down into the vortex with one arm outstretched
Other Tiny suited figure at the exact centre of the spiral vortex, pale suit, falling inward
Other Suited astronaut at bottom centre, white suit with an orange life-support pack, falling feet-first with arms and legs splayed
Full description

A square backglass dominated by a huge painted cosmic vortex: a swirling black-and-lavender-white spiral galaxy funnel in the centre, ringed by tumbling brown asteroid rocks. Around the vortex, huge hollow-outline block capital letters in pale yellow with orange inner shading spell BLACK HOLE twice on a circle - BLACK curving up the left side, HOLE arcing across the top, BLACK curving down the right side and HOLE across the bottom. Three small human figures in spacesuits are shown tumbling into the funnel: one upper-left in a white suit with an orange-tinted visor tumbling head-down, one at the vortex throat drawn small in a pale suit, and one at the bottom centre in a white suit with an orange pack falling feet-first. Scattered throughout are small orange-red planets and rock chunks. Two blue seven-segment score displays sit in panels left and right at top and bottom. The background is a muted brown-and-olive cloudy sky. Lettering on the artwork includes a GAME OVER panel at mid-left, WE ARE 38 in small orange text beside it, and SHOOT AGAIN in small orange caps at upper right, plus a ringed planet emblem at top right and a glowing orange sphere at bottom left.

Black Hole backglass

Backglass

  • black
  • white
  • pale blue
  • teal

Fingerprint: HOLE and BLACK repeating textually around whirlpool spiral, white-suited astronauts in mirror-arrangement flanking vortex, one reaching heavenward, counterpart extending downward below maelstrom, white five-pointed star interior spiral upper-right, cyan seven-segment scoring windows glowing corner positions, black starfield backdrop, geometric composition emphasizing symmetry and cosmic themes

Distinctive

A huge white spiral galaxy dominates the middle, with the title spelled out twice around it in big outlined italic letters so that BLACK and HOLE read as a circle of text. Two astronauts in white bubble helmets float in mirror-image poses on opposite sides of the whirlpool, one reaching up above it and one reaching down below it. A plain white five-pointed star lies tucked into the upper-right arm of the spiral. Four corner score windows glow pale teal against an otherwise pure black, star-speckled field.

Setting

  • Black starfield with fine white and yellow specks
  • Large central spiral galaxy with pale blue and white arms
  • Dark void

Symbols

  • Spiral galaxy
  • Five-pointed white star
  • Asteroids
  • Ringed planet
  • Planet discs
  • Orbit dashes

Lettering

  • Large italic outlined capitals, white outlines with hollow black centres, curved to follow the circular layout around the central spiral

Themes

  • Outer space
  • Spiral galaxy
  • Astronauts
  • Vacuum
  • Planets

Title on it

  • Black hole

Text on it

  • Gottlieb
  • HOLE
  • BLACK
  • 568 140
  • 637 210
  • 648 430
  • 434 340
Who and what
Kind Description
Other Astronaut in a white spacesuit with a round bubble helmet, one upper centre-left of the spiral, body horizontal, legs trailing to the left, both arms stretched up and to the right with open gloved hands
Other Astronaut in a white spacesuit with a round bubble helmet, below the spiral, inverted, head and shoulders to the right, one gloved hand splayed open, legs trailing to the left
Full description

A square backglass with a black outer field dusted with tiny white and yellow star specks. In the centre is a large white-and-pale-blue spiral galaxy / whirlpool, arms coiling clockwise into a dark core, ringed by small brown, gold and olive asteroids. Two white-suited astronauts in round bubble helmets float outside the spiral: one at upper centre-left, body horizontal and tilted, both arms reaching up and to the right, legs trailing behind; the other below the spiral, mirroring it, head down and to the right with one gloved hand splayed open. Large italic outlined capital letters curve around the composition - HOLE across the top, BLACK running down the left side, BLACK running down the right side, and HOLE across the bottom, spelling the same two words twice around the whirlpool. A plain white five-pointed star sits inside the spiral at upper right. Four teal/cyan seven-segment-style score windows sit in the corners showing number pairs, and a white circular company logo sits top left. Several coloured planetary discs float at the edges: pale blue at left, yellow ringed at top right, orange and yellow at right, and a mottled green form at bottom right. A thin line of tiny copyright print runs along the bottom edge.