1979 · Astro Games
Black Sheep Squadron
Flat mid-blue sky on the left with silhouetted jet aircraft, green conifer forest and brown ground on the right with ground vehicles, enormous red and orange radiating sunburst across the centre, green and yellow glow at the centre of the sunburst and white, blue and grey chevron band along the bottom edge.
- Year
- 1979
- Maker
- Astro Games
- Type
- Solid state
- Display
- Alphanumeric
- Players
- 4
Vision analysis
On the backglass
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Backglass
- blue
- red
- orange
- black
Fingerprint: 'BLACK SHEEP SQUADRON' title, colossal red-orange sunburst radiating from centre, two pilots in flying suits marching toward viewer, squadron of eight helmeted pilot heads behind them, silhouetted jet fighters on left blue sky, conifer trees and vehicles on right landscape, aviation style.
The single most memorable feature is the colossal red-and-orange sunburst of straight rays bursting from the centre of the glass, with two pilots in tan and pale-green flying suits striding straight out of it towards the player. Directly behind them is an unusual squadron portrait: a tight row of eight or so helmeted, goggled male heads floating above the pair, as if a team photo has been pasted into the sky. The left half of the artwork is empty blue sky with only silhouetted jets, while the right half holds a full green landscape with conifer trees and ground vehicles — an unusual land-versus-sky split for an aviation theme. The title is set in plain heavy white block capitals on a black band, unusually unadorned for the style.
Setting
- Flat mid-blue sky on the left with silhouetted jet aircraft
- Green conifer forest and brown ground on the right with ground vehicles
- Enormous red and orange radiating sunburst across the centre
- Green and yellow glow at the centre of the sunburst
- White, blue and grey chevron band along the bottom edge
Symbols
- Sunburst of radiating rays
- Swept-wing jet silhouettes
- Helicopter silhouette
- Parachute harness webbing
- Pilot helmets and goggles
- Conifer trees
- Corner numerals 1 2 3 4
- Chevron arrows along the bottom border
Lettering
- Heavy white sans-serif block capitals, all upper case, on a solid black horizontal band with a thin blue outline; small white numerals in the four corners
Themes
- Military aviation
- Fighter pilots
- Flight squadron
- Jet aircraft
- Air war
- Parachute harness
Title on it
- Black sheep squadron
Text on it
- BLACK SHEEP SQUADRON
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Man | Front pilot in a tan-orange zip-front one-piece flying suit with parachute harness webbing and boots, walking towards the viewer |
| Man | Second pilot just behind in a pale green flying suit with harness webbing, also striding forward |
| Man | Row of about eight helmeted and goggled male pilot heads in a squadron portrait behind the pair |
| Vehicle | Four swept-wing jet aircraft silhouettes in formation on the left blue sky |
| Vehicle | Helicopter silhouette low on the left side |
| Vehicle | Small tank or armoured vehicle and a jeep-like truck on the right-hand ground |
| Animal | Stand of dark green conifer trees on the right landscape |
A wedge-shaped backglass with a black title band across the top carrying the name in heavy white block capitals. The whole picture is split by a huge red-and-orange sunburst of radiating rays that opens out from the centre like a starburst, over a green and yellow glow. Left of centre is a flat mid-blue sky filled with dark blue-grey silhouettes of four swept-wing jet aircraft flying in formation plus a helicopter shape low down. Right of centre is a contrasting green landscape: a stand of dark green conifer trees, a brown ground plane, a small tank or armoured vehicle and a jeep-like truck, under the same blue sky. Dead centre, marching towards the viewer down the sunburst, are two pilots in zip-front one-piece flying suits — the nearer one in a tan-orange suit, the one behind in a pale green suit — both wearing bulky parachute harness webbing, boots and helmets tucked under the arm. Behind their heads is a row of about eight male pilot faces in flying helmets and goggles, drawn larger as if a squadron portrait. White-and-blue chevrons and a red outer border frame the bottom edge, with the numerals 1, 2, 3 and 4 in the four corners marking player positions, and rectangular number windows set into each corner.