1958 · Genco
Flying Aces
Flat blue diamond-mesh chain-link fence pattern covering the whole field, wooden cabinet frame visible around the glass and dark pinball playfield visible below through the cabinet opening.
- Year
- 1958
- Maker
- Genco
- Type
- Electro-mechanical
- Display
- Score reels
- Players
- 2
Vision analysis
On the playfield
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Playfield
- cream
- yellow
- red
- teal
Fingerprint: Flying Aces electro-mechanical, playfield built giant playing cards eight chrome-bezelled drop targets printed as card faces, two mirrored red rosette circles marked ten under aces tens banners, large inverted triangle numbered one to ten at center, poker-themed court figures
The whole playfield is built out of giant playing cards: eight chrome-bezelled drop targets are printed as full-size card faces with heart, spade, diamond and club pips, and the two flippers are themselves card-shaped with real card-suit artwork and yellow cylindrical rollers on top. Two mirrored red rosette circles each marked 10 dominate the mid-upper field under banners reading ACES and TENS. A large inverted triangle numbered 1 to 10 forms the centre, captioned NUMBER OF TENS YOU MAKE and YOU WIN A KING OR ROYAL FLUSH. Curved red RESHUFFLE banners appear three times, once over a round black hole and twice flanking the flippers.
Setting
- Flat teal-green and gold sunburst field
- Cream/yellow centre panel
Symbols
- Hearts
- Spades
- Diamonds
- Clubs
- King crown
- Queen crown
- Red rosette target
- Score reels
- Number key
Notable shapes
- Inverted triangle numbered 1-10 in the centre
- Heart-shaped scores 10 plate between the flippers
- Silver fanned-royal-cards plaque with a round hole below it
- Arched scalloped top edge on the green background
- Two large triangular white card target banks flanking the lower field
- Wooden ball-guide rails on both side edges
Art motifs
- Oversized playing-card faces used as target banks
- Heraldic shields
- Sunburst rays
- Checkerboard and pie-segment borders
Themes
- Poker
- Playing cards
- Court cards
- Casino
- Electromechanical
Title on it
- Flying aces
Text on it
- KINGS
- K
- QUEENS
- Q
- JACKS
- J
- 10
- ACES
- TENS
- RESHUFFLE
- 4 OF A KIND
- EXTRA SPECIAL
- MATCHES
- ROYAL FLUSH
- NUMBER OF TENS
- YOU MAKE
- YOU WIN A KING OR ROYAL FLUSH
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- SPECIAL
- 1000 WHEN LIT
- 100
- WHEN LIT
- FLIPPER
- SCORES 10
- FLYING ACES
- FOR AMUSEMENT ONLY
- NO PRIZES
- NO WAGERING
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Other | Three painted court figures above the score reels - a king, a queen and a jack in red, gold and green medieval robes and crowns, each holding a sceptre-like attribute |
| Man | Small jester/clown in red and blue tunic with a red cap, arms raised, standing left of centre below the two 10 rosettes |
| Man | Second small jester in red and blue with a red cap, arms raised, standing right of centre, mirrored |
| Other | Painted royal court figures (king, queen, jack) printed inside the fanned playing-card cluster on the silver plaque |
| Woman | Queen in a wide red-and-yellow hoop skirt printed on the left card target bank, with king and jack figures above her |
| Woman | Queen in a red polka-dot skirt and blue bodice printed on the right card target bank, with king and jack figures above her |
| Other | Jester in a white-and-red ruff and parti-coloured costume printed on the lower left card bank |
| Other | Court characters in blue, red and yellow printed on the lower right card bank, one seated at a table |
A tall, portrait-format electro-mechanical poker-themed playfield seen behind glass, dominated by cream, yellow, red, teal-green and gold. Five mechanical score reels with coloured number tapes run across the upper third, each capped by a king, queen and jack in red-and-gold court dress, with three shield plaques reading KINGS K, QUEENS Q and JACKS J. Down each side sit tall chrome-bezelled drop-target banks printed like oversized playing-card faces: heart, spade, diamond and club symbols on cream cards. Two red rosette rollovers marked 10 sit centre-left and centre-right, flanked by banners ACES and TENS. A fanned cluster of royal court cards lies on a silver plaque above a round black hole, flanked by two curved red RESHUFFLE banners. Below sits a red-and-gold EXTRA SPECIAL / MATCHES disc, two cream ovals reading 4 OF A KIND and ROYAL FLUSH, and a large inverted triangle key numbered 1 to 10 around a central 10. Lower centre two card-print flipper bats with yellow rollers labelled FLIPPER meet at a heart-shaped SCORES 10 plate. Cream instruction cards line the apron beneath.
On the backglass
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Backglass
- blue
- yellow
- red
- white
Fingerprint: flying aces: big blonde pin-up pilot right edge smiling red lips holding fan playing cards raised hand, centre panel blue card table printed full four-by-four grid playing cards court cards painted small biplane fighter-aircraft pictures, mirrored navy-yellow 1st 2nd score panels red pennants
The most memorable element is the big blonde pin-up pilot on the right edge, smiling with red lips and holding a fan of playing cards in her raised hand. Second is the centre panel: a blue card table printed with a full four-by-four grid of playing cards whose court cards are painted with small biplane and fighter-aircraft pictures. Third, the mirrored pair of navy-and-yellow '1st' and '2nd' score panels with red pennants and 'PLAYERS SCORE' ribbons, split by a big orange lightning bolt. Fourth, the blue chain-link diamond mesh that covers the entire background.
Setting
- Flat blue diamond-mesh chain-link fence pattern covering the whole field
- Wooden cabinet frame visible around the glass
- Dark pinball playfield visible below through the cabinet opening
Symbols
- Playing cards (court cards with aircraft pictures, four of spades, ace of diamonds, pip cards)
- Lightning bolt
- Crown
- Royal crest scroll
- Chain-link mesh
- Score reels
- Red pennant flags
- Numerals 1, 2 and 4
Lettering
- Chunky hand-painted sans-serif capitals: 'flying aces' in large red italicised block letters with white inline highlights and black outline on the yellow bottom band; 'players score' in smaller white capitals on red ribbons; '1st' and '2nd' in white with black shadow on red pennants; '1 can play' / '2 can play' in black script on yellow lozenges
Themes
- Aviators
- Playing cards
- Aircraft
- Pin-up
- Lightning
Title on it
- Flying aces
Text on it
- 1 Can Play
- 2 Can Play
- BALL
- 1st
- 2nd
- PLAYERS SCORE
- FLYING ACES
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Woman | Pin-up blonde woman on the right edge, hair in rolled curls with orange shading, blue eyes, thin dark brows, red lipstick and a broad smile showing white teeth. she wears a yellow halter-style top with a blue and white bust panel. she holds a spread fan of playing cards up beside her face; more card shapes in blue, yellow, white and red appear below her hand at the lower right. |
| Other | A painted gold crown with red ball finials and red block lettering on a scroll, forming a shield/crest emblem on the left of the card table. |
| Vehicle | Small painted single-propeller aeroplanes in red, black and orange repeated on twelve of the playing cards in the centre grid. |
A painted backglass in a bare wooden cabinet frame, the whole field a bright blue diamond-mesh chain-link pattern. Across the top runs a yellow rounded bar: a lozenge at the left reads '1 Can Play', one at the right '2 Can Play', and between them an orange-red window shows 'BALL' in black capitals with a lightning bolt cutting through the bar. Below, two mirrored navy-and-yellow score panels carry a red pennant above ('1st', '2nd' in white), four small reel windows, and a red ribbon reading 'PLAYERS SCORE'; an orange lightning bolt descends between them. The centre holds a large blue card table printed with a four-by-four grid of playing cards: red and black court cards carrying small aeroplane pictures, a four of spades, an ace of diamonds and a column of pip cards. To the left sit a red numeral '4' and a gold crown-topped shield crest. At the right edge a blonde pin-up woman with curled hair, red lips and a yellow-and-blue low-cut top smiles, holding a fan of cards. A yellow band below carries the title 'FLYING ACES'.