1982 · Williams
Defender
Known for Lander drop targets, Humans, Mutant Bull's-Eyes and Swarmer targets. Black starfield, outer space, jagged red and magenta mountain peaks, teal-green planet and orange-brown alien ground.
- Year
- 1982
- Maker
- Williams
- Type
- Solid state
- Display
- Alphanumeric
- Players
- 4
Known for
- Target
Lander drop targets
- indicator
Humans
- Target
Mutant Bull's-Eyes
- Target
Swarmer targets
- trough
Lockup trough
- button
Smart Bomb button
On the playfield
Targets 6
- Lander drop targets
- Mutant Bull's-Eyes
- Baiter drop targets
- Swarmer targets
- Pod targets
- Warp Bull's-Eye
Lanes 2
- Bomber lanes
- Reverse kickback
Post or gate 1
- Center peg peg
Control 1
- Smart Bomb button button
Lights 1
- Humans indicator
Other 1
- Lockup trough trough
On the backglass
Who and what
- other A white-haired pilot in a white helmet seated in a green-hulled ship with striped yellow-and-black wings at the upper left
- other A large angular red and orange spacecraft with a striped yellow-and-black wing dominating the centre-left
- other A small green angular ship at upper right flying into a yellow starburst
- other A green-hulled ship at right side with striped wings and a red cockpit, angled steeply downward
- other A yellow and white boxy machine or turret at the bottom right corner
- other A small figure in a blue suit with a white helmet at lower right, arms flung out, thrown sideways from the yellow machine
Setting
- Black starfield
- Outer space
- Jagged red and magenta mountain peaks
- Teal-green planet
- Orange-brown alien ground
Text on it
- Williams
- DEFENDER
- TM
- HIGHEST SCORE
- 2,500,000
- Utopia Rise
- Shoot Again
- Watch
- Game Over
- 08
How it plays
-
Multiballs 1
- Three-Ball Multiball 3-ball
-
Goals 1
- Wave
Made by
- Design
- Barry Oursler
- Design
- Joe Kaminkow
- Art
- Constantino Mitchell
- Art
- Jeanine Mitchell
- Software & Sound
- Cary Kolker
Reference
Linked terms
- Lander drop targets also called Landers also called Lander targets
- Humans also called Humanoids also called Humanoid
- Mutant Bull's-Eyes also called Mutants also called Mutant also called Bull's-Eye
- Baiter drop targets also called Baiter
- Swarmer targets also called Swarmers also called Swarmer also called Swarmer Bull's-Eyes
- Pod targets also called Pod and Swarmer targets also called inline targets
- Bomber lanes also called Bomber lanes 1-4 also called top lanes
- Warp Bull's-Eye also called Warp
- Lockup trough also called lock lane also called right lockup trough
- Reverse kickback also called Reverse
- Smart Bomb button also called Smart Bomb
Playfield vision analysis
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Playfield
- black
- yellow
- red
- teal
Fingerprint: Defender, enormous yellow-and-orange starburst title word across lower center with second yellow Reverse Button logo block at lower left, big circular target area ringed with small round inserts dominated by translucent red glowing dome, round orange disc at top right with cartoon blue character against sunburst
The most memorable element is the enormous yellow-and-orange starburst title word across the lower centre of the playfield, with a second yellow 'Reverse Button' / script-maker logo block at lower left. Just above it sits a big circular target area ringed with many small round inserts and dominated by a translucent red dome that glows red. The top-right round orange disc carrying a cartoon blue character against a yellow sunburst is an unusual, hard-to-forget detail. Also striking: two matching white oval plastics with flame decals side by side below the red post bumpers, and the black playfield packed with teal and yellow outlines.
Setting
- Black void-like playfield background
- Central orange-and-yellow starburst explosion
- Blue-and-red panel artwork on the right side
- Concentric ring of round inserts around a central red dome
Symbols
- Playing-card suit shapes on small inserts
- Stars and starbursts
- Explosion bursts
- Multiplier roundels marked 1x 2x 3x 4x
- Yellow anchor/trident emblems on the cabinet front
- Arrows
- Concentric target rings
Notable shapes
- Large concentric circular emblem with red central dome in the lower middle
- Pair of white oval plastics
- Tall rectangular teal-framed side panels
- Slanted yellow rails crossing the field
- Metal ball guides down both cabinet sides
Art motifs
- Radiating sunbursts
- Metallic teal outlines
- Flame and explosion art
- Sci-fi target reticle
Themes
- Space
- Science fiction
- Action
- War machine
Title on it
- Defender
Text on it
- DEFENDER
- Reverse Button
- Williams
- Smart Bomb
- Lane Change
- Flight Flipper
- INSTRUCTIONS
- TO ADJUST THE ACTION ONLY
- 1 PLAYER
- 3 BALLS PER GAME
- 1X
- 2X
- 3X
- 4X
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Other | A small cartoon blue character (head and shoulders) printed on the round orange disc at top right, in front of a yellow sunburst |
| Vehicle | Yellow-and-black angled mechanical/rail shapes crossing the mid-lower field on both sides |
A full-length electro-mechanical playfield photographed head-on in its wooden cabinet, with metal ball guides running down both sides. The surface is a busy airbrushed sci-fi/war collage in black, yellow, orange, red and teal: a starburst explosion in the centre, a large teal-outlined circular emblem in the lower middle ringed with small round inserts, and a fan of four red-post bumpers near the top. Two white oval plastics with red and yellow flame/star decals sit just below the bumpers like bowls or spinner caps. A round orange disc at top right shows a cartoon blue figure with a sunburst behind it. Two tall teal-bordered rectangular panels run down the left and right lanes, and slanting yellow rails cross the mid-lower field. Lower centre is a large yellow-and-orange block-letter title word with a starburst behind it; yellow captions read 'Reverse Button' and 'Smart Bomb', with a yellow script maker logo beneath the left caption. Two white instruction cards sit at the bottom corners, flanking a yellow sunburst medallion. The cabinet front is visible below, black with repeated yellow anchor/trident emblems and two orange-lit score windows.
Backglass vision analysis
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Backglass
- black
- red
- yellow
- orange
Fingerprint: DEFENDER in massive chunky three-dimensional gradient block letters (yellow-orange-red), comic-book space battle on black starfield, red and orange angular spaceships with striped wings exploding against teal planet, small figure ejected from yellow machine, Williams, amber seven-segment score windows
A colossal chunky three-dimensional title reading DEFENDER in yellow-to-orange-to-red gradient block letters, floating on a black starfield with a red script Williams wordmark tucked just above it. The whole scene is a comic-book space battle of hard-edged red and orange ships exploding against a teal planet. Four instruction words are printed directly on the artwork rather than in a legend box, including the odd phrase Utopia Rise on a yellow wedge. Below the painted glass is a separate chrome-and-black mirrored speaker panel with a round black mesh grille in the centre and seven black trapezoid speaker slots arranged in mirrored pairs.
Setting
- Black starfield
- Outer space
- Jagged red and magenta mountain peaks
- Teal-green planet
- Orange-brown alien ground
Symbols
- Yellow and white starburst explosions
- Seven-segment score windows
- Red circle logo
- Striped yellow-and-black wings
- Black trapezoid speaker slots
- Round speaker mesh grille
- Orange ringed planet at top left
Lettering
- Very heavy geometric slab capitals in a chunky 3d block style with a yellow-to-orange-to-red vertical gradient and dark outline, plus a small red cursive script wordmark above and tiny plain sans-serif instruction words printed on the artwork
Themes
- Space battle
- Spaceships
- Explosions
- Alien landscape
- Planet
Title on it
- Defender
Text on it
- Williams
- DEFENDER
- TM
- HIGHEST SCORE
- 2,500,000
- Utopia Rise
- Shoot Again
- Watch
- Game Over
- 08
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Other | A white-haired pilot in a white helmet seated in a green-hulled ship with striped yellow-and-black wings at the upper left |
| Other | A large angular red and orange spacecraft with a striped yellow-and-black wing dominating the centre-left |
| Other | A small green angular ship at upper right flying into a yellow starburst |
| Other | A green-hulled ship at right side with striped wings and a red cockpit, angled steeply downward |
| Other | A yellow and white boxy machine or turret at the bottom right corner |
| Other | A small figure in a blue suit with a white helmet at lower right, arms flung out, thrown sideways from the yellow machine |
| Vehicle | A long green rocket with a pointed nose crossing the upper right corner |
A rectangular backglass under a wooden-look frame, showing a hand-inked comic-book space battle scene on a black starfield. Across the top centre sits a huge blocky title reading DEFENDER in chunky three-dimensional slab capitals, letters shaded from yellow at the top through orange to red, with a small superscript TM at its upper right. Above the title, at upper left of centre, a red script wordmark Williams sits beside a small red circle logo. Below the title are two rectangular seven-segment score windows: the left one glowing amber with 2,500,000, the right one showing 0,000 with dark unlit segments to its left, and lower down two smaller unlit segment windows side by side. The artwork shows angular red, orange and yellow spacecraft with striped yellow-and-black wings, a green-hulled ship at upper left with a white domed cockpit, a teal-green planet disc at centre-right, jagged red and magenta mountains, and multiple yellow-white starburst explosions. Four small printed instructional words are scattered on the artwork like captions: Utopia Rise on a yellow wedge at mid-left, Shoot Again on a red diagonal at centre, Watch on a red diagonal at lower centre, and Game Over at lower right. Bottom right shows a small figure in a blue suit and white helmet being flung sideways away from a yellow and white machine.